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Title: Cavalier in Buckskin

Subtitle: George Armstrong Custer and the Western Military Frontier

Author: Robert M. Utley

Narrator: Roy Lunel

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-12-15

Publisher: University Press Audiobooks

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 9 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

George Armstrong Custer: The name evokes instant recognition in almost every American and in people around the world. No figure in the history of the American West has more powerfully moved the human imagination.

When originally published in 1988, Cavalier in Buckskin was met with critical acclaim. Now Robert M. Utley has revised his best-selling biography of General George Armstrong Custer. In his preface to the revised edition, Utley writes about his summers (1947-1952) spent as a historical aide at the Custer Battlefield - as it was then known - and credits the work of several authors whose recent scholarship has illuminated our understanding of the events of Little Bighorn.

The book is published by University of Oklahoma Press.

Editorial Reviews:

"Utley's excellent study has set the new standard against which all future Custer biographies must be judged." (

American Indian Quarterly)

Critic Reviews:

"Utley combines a mastery of succinct, elegantly written narration with sound historical judgment based on deep understanding of the military and political milieu in which Custer operated." (

Illinois Historical Journal)

"An evocative book that expands the historiography on Custer beyond the extremes of the past to a more balanced and appropriate place in American frontier history and popular culture." (

American Historical Review)

Members Reviews:

Fantastically scholarly!

Hat's off to Robert M. Utley, for a true treasured portait General George A. Custer!

I enjoyed this book

The story kept me coming back for more with this book. As always I want there to be more, but i get that all books have to end. I will definitely look for more by this author!

One of the best to understand the man and the time

While there are some very good books about Custer in a crowded field, such as "Son of the Morning Star", " The Last Stand" and others, this book stands out as one of the best. Most works are clouded by the pre-set opinion of the author, and paint the man as a peerless hero, or a bloody glory seeking imbecile. Robert Utley does neither, and paints the picture of a man driven by ambition, patriotism, and possessed of a completely fearless nature, not unlike other Calvary Icons of his time. Custer was a fascinating man, and his story as well as that of the Seventh Calvary will be told for a long time to come. This is a great place to start, or continue a quest to understand the man. This is a great listen, with a great narrator.

An Excellent Unbiased History of Custer

CAVALIER IN BUCKSKIN was a treat to listen to on many levels. I listened to the audiobook written by ROBERT M. UTLEY and it was one I didnt want to turn off. The life and legacy of George Armstrong Custer holds a fascinating place in American history that makes him one of the most bewildering yet iconic figures to date. I truly enjoyed listening to his story not only to learn more about his military service and duties but his personal life as well. This is an audiobook not to be missed. In my case, I live near Custer Hill and the Custer House and also the Cavalry Museum which are all historical places. The house is an almost exact replica of the original home which had burned down. I also live near where there were and are many Native American burial grounds.

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Title: Native American Tribes: The History and Culture of the Nez Percé

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Russell Stamets

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 59 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-07-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

Explains the origins, history, religion, and social structure of the tribe. Discusses the tribe's involvement in the Lewis and Clark expedition. Includes a Bibliography for further reading. Includes a Table of Contents.

From the "Trail of Tears" to Wounded Knee and Little Bighorn, the narrative of American history is incomplete without the inclusion of the Native Americans that lived on the continent before European settlers arrived in the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the first contact between natives and settlers, tribes like the Sioux, Cherokee, and Navajo have both fascinated and perplexed outsiders with their history, language, and culture. In Charles River Editors' Native American Tribes series, listeners can get caught up to speed on the history and culture of North America's most famous native tribes in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known.

Many Native American tribes went out of their way to steer clear of white settlers during the 19th century, but the Nez Percé people might have remained confined to historical obscurity if not for their willingness to establish ties with European adventurers, explorers, clergy, and settlers. By doing so, most notably assisting the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805, the Nez Percé succeeded in not only bringing to light their ancient heritage but staking their claim to their place in modernity. From their role in helping Lewis and Clark blaze a trail to the Northwest Pacific coast in the early 19th century to their modern-day roles in the fields of academics, politics, the arts and sciences, the Nez Percé people stand among America's most influential.

Nez Percé literally means "pierced nose" in French, but it is unclear whether the tribe ever used nose piercing as a form of ornament.

Members Reviews:

but shows no deep knowledge or love for the tribe

It's not actually misleading, but the text is perfunctory and bloodless. The author pulled together a few basic facts about the Nez Perce, but shows no deep knowledge or love for the tribe, their history or the ways. It won't do you any harm to read or listen to this book, but there are much better sources available. Still, it is relatively short and concise, and thus can help introduce the topic, though anyone who wants to understand the subject should supplement this text with other sources that better capture the unique culture and history of this tribe. Consider books by Martin Stadius or Alvin Josephy.

Five Stars

Good concise history.

excellant book

I live in north Idaho so I am familiar with the Chief Joseph story but until now did not really have a full grasp of it. I have been to the Big Hole battlefield and other places mentioned so this was a very interesting book for me. It fleshed out the tribe and gave me an understanding of them and what things were like back then, I found it very informative and an easy read. My wife enjoyed it so much she has been after me to purchase other of the Charles River Editors books, which I have.

Two Stars

informative but light weight

Interesting read

Was good information on this peaceful tribe that fought back and then fled to have peace in their lives,but instead froze on the way to Canada ,also some starved.

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Title: Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory

Subtitle: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America, 25th Anniversary Edition

Author: Randall Balmer

Narrator: Randall Balmer

Format: Unabridged

Length: 16 hrs and 27 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-28-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 5 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

Randall Balmer's Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory is an insightful and engaging journey into the world of conservative Christians in America. Originally published 25 years ago and the basis for an award-winning PBS documentary, this timely new edition arrives just as recent elections have left an ever-growing number of secular Americans wondering exactly how the other half thinks.

From Oregon to Florida, and from Texas to North Dakota, Balmer offers an immensely readable tour of the highways and byways of American evangelicalism. We visit a revival meeting in Florida, an Indian reservation in the Dakotas, a trade show for Christian booksellers, and a fundamentalist Bible camp in the Adirondacks. For this fourth edition, Balmer adds two chapters, one on the phenomenally popular "Painter of Light", Thomas Kinkade, and one on Rick Warren, author of The Purpose-Driven Life. Through the eyes of these and other people Balmer meets on his journeys, we arrive at a more accurate and balanced understanding of an abiding tradition that, as the author argues, is both rich in theological insights and mired in contradictions.

Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory offers listeners a genuine insight into the appeal that the evangelicals movement holds for thousands of Americans.

Members Reviews:

Religious Travelogue at its Best

In the prologue to his classic study of conservative Protestantism in late twentieth-century America, Randall Balmer writes: "This is a book about popular evangelicalism, a kind of travelogue into the evangelical subculture in America, a subculture that encompasses fundamentalists, charismatics, and pentecostals" (4-5). With that, he launches into a series of chapters, each one taking him to a different place, each one offering him a different slice of his topic. A few highlights:

Chapter 1, "California Kickback," recounts a 1987 visit to Calvary Chapel, an evangelical mega-church in Santa Ana, California. Under the leadership of pastor Chuck Smith, the church took off in the 1970s when leaders began preaching to washouts from the hippie counterculture in Southern California. As Balmer describes it, the church seems to have taken on certain aspects of the counterculture. At least some long-time members of the congregation are "Jesus people" from the 70s. Yet, Calvary Chapel attracts a remarkably wide variety of folks, attesting to the fact that the church is something much more than a big group of "hippies for Christ."

The setting for Chapter 5, "Adirondack Fundamentalism," is thousands of miles from Southern California: Word of Life Fellowship on Schroon Lake in upstate New York. Balmer describes Word of Life's summer Bible camp for teens in the summer of 1987. He chronicles some of the awkward, anxious religious lives of kids growing up in a devout Protestant home. He also discusses the historic issue of transmitting a vibrant faith from one generation to the next.

Chapter 14, "Oregon Jeremiad," tells the story of Balmer's 1986 visit to the Oregon Extension of Trinity College. Trinity is located in the suburbs of Chicago, while the small Western extension school is in Lincoln, Oregon, at a former logging camp in the Cascade Mountains.

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Title: The 1759 Battle of Quebec: The History and Legacy of Britain's Most Important Victory of the French & Indian War

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: William Turbett

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 20 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-23-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

"[W]e observed the enemy marching down towards us in three columns, at 10 they formed their line of battle, which was at least six deep, having their flanks covered by a thick wood on each side, into which they threw above 3,000 Canadians and Indians, who gauled us much; the regulars then marched briskly up to us, and gave us their first fire, at about 50 yards distance, which we did not return, as it was General Wolfe's express Orders not to fire till they came within 20 yards of us...." (The British sergeant-major of Gen. Hopson's Grenadiers)

On September 13, 1759, a battle was fought on the Plains of Abraham outside the old city of Québec. It was one of the turning-point battles in world history. Thanks to the British victory and the events that followed, Canada went from being a colony of France (New France) to being a colony of Great Britain. This permanently changed Canadian history. In many ways the outcome of the battle brought about several American attempts to seize Canada during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Ultimately it ensured that when Canada became an independent country it was part of the British Commonwealth with an Anglophone majority and a Francophone minority. Frictions over cultural and political issues between the English Canadians and the Québécois, dating back to the battle, continue to impact the state of affairs in Canada today.

While the battle had a profound impact, it has also been romanticized and mythologized beyond even epic proportions. Though often forgotten today, more than 250 years after the battle, the Battle of the Plains of Abraham was the culmination of a long siege.

Members Reviews:

Four Stars

I remember it from Canadian History so a very interesting read.

is good, but the writing is not

The info.is good,but the writing is not.

Five Stars

Enjoyed this book.

Four Stars

it was interesting I learned

Very informative book

Very well written, very concise but not to the point of over examining the story. Good background on the beginnings of the French and Indian War and how it lead to the Battle of Quebec. The battle itself was very short so the events leading up to it are important. The aftermath was interesting and might help someone understand better the events that lead up to the American Revolution.

I would recommend the book to anyone who is interested in the topic or who needs to know more about the battle. It could be of use to anyone planning to travel to Quebec city to know the history of the area as well.

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Title: The 1989 Bay Area Earthquake: The Story of San Francisco's Second Deadliest Earthquake

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Kat Marlowe

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 16 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-22-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

"I'll tell you what - we're having an earth - " (Al Michaels broadcasting the World Series on ABC as the earthquake struck and before the feed went out

"Well folks, that's the greatest open in the history of television, bar none!" (Al Michaels after the ABC feed was restored)

On October 17, 1989, millions of Americans tuning in to watch the Oakland Athletics face the San Francisco Giants in the World Series watched the cameras suddenly start to shake violently for several seconds. The national broadcast had just caught an earthquake registering a 6.9 on the Richter scale striking the Bay Area. By the time the earthquake and the resulting fires were over and dealt with, over 60 people were dead, making it San Francisco's deadliest earthquake since the 1906 earthquake and fire.

The damage and devastation across the Bay Area was widespread despite the precautions and changes the region had made in the wake of the 1906 calamity. After that disaster San Francisco began the process of reinforcing buildings to help structures brace for earthquakes. But even in the 1980s, they were still more concerned about potential fires resulting from an earthquake.

After the earthquake in 1906, San Francisco created an Auxiliary Water Supply System that could distribute water to any section of the city, and the city built it with stringent codes in the event of an earthquake. In fact just a few years before 1989, San Francisco created a portable water-supply system and upgraded the fire departments.

Members Reviews:

Rebuilding a great city

Would you consider the audio edition of The 1989 Bay Area Earthquake: The Story of San Francisco's Second Deadliest Earthquake to be better than the print version?

I didn't read the print version, but I thoroughly enjoyed the audio.

What did you like best about this story?

The shared stories and hearing of all the civilians and public servants that worked tirelessly to help.

What does Kat Marlowe bring to the story that you wouldnt experience if you just read the book?

Inflections in the stories being told and, in some cases, emotion.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Rising From the Rubble

Any additional comments?

Loved the book and narrator.

Wow

Kat did a great job narrating this book. I learned a lot about the Bay Area earthquake . She was able to bring it to life for me . Great job Kat

Times change but disasters still happen

What made the experience of listening to The 1989 Bay Area Earthquake: The Story of San Francisco's Second Deadliest Earthquake the most enjoyable?

I enjoyed listening to all the "rememberances" of that earthquake. The variety of first hand accounts was fasinating.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The 1989 Bay Area Earthquake: The Story of San Francisco's Second Deadliest Earthquake?

The account of the man trying to save the woman fatally injured in the bridge collapse.

What about Kat Marlowes performance did you like?

All the devistation that occured with this second deadliest earthquake, it couldn't have been an easy story to narrate.

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Title: The Hoover Dam: The History and Construction of America's Most Famous Engineering Project

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Jack Nolan

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 14 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-09-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 12 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

"This morning I came, I saw, and I was conquered, as everyone would be who sees for the first time this great feat of mankind.... Ten years ago the place where we gathered was an unpeopled, forbidding desert. In the bottom of the gloomy canyon whose precipitous walls rose to height of more than a thousand feet, flowed a turbulent, dangerous river.... The site of Boulder City was a cactus-covered waste. And the transformation wrought here in these years is a twentieth century marvel. (President Franklin D. Roosevelt, September 30, 1935)

During the 1930s, at the height of the Great Depression, thousands of workers began work on the Hoover Dam, built in the Black Canyon, which had been cut by the powerful Colorado River. The Colorado River was responsible for the Grand Canyon, and by the 20th century, the idea of damming the river and creating an artificial lake was being explored for all of its potential, including hydroelectric power and irrigation. By the time the project was proposed in the 1920s, the contractors vowing to build it were facing the challenge of building the largest dam the world had ever known. As if that wasnt enough, the landscape was completely unforgiving, as described by the famous explorer John Wesley Powell generations earlier: The landscape everywhere, away from the river, is of rock - cliffs of rock, tables of rock, plateaus of rock, terraces of rock, crags of rock - ten thousand strangely carved forms...cathedral shaped buttes, towering hundreds or thousands of feet, cliffs that cannot be scaled, and canyon walls that shrink the river into insignificance, with vast hollow domes and tall pinnacles and shafts set on the verge overhead; and all highly colored.

Members Reviews:

Awesome

loved it what a wonderful peace of history. One of the most interesting books I have read so far.

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Title: American Legends: The Salem Witch Trials

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Bob Neufeld

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 04-03-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 3.5 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

"More than once it has been said, too, that the Salem witchcraft was the rock on which the theocracy shattered." - George Lincoln Burr

A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history's most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors' American Legends series, listeners can get caught up on the lives of America's most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute. And they can do so while learning interesting facts long forgotten, or never known.

The sleepy town of Salem, Massachusetts was not unlike every other small village that dotted the countryside around Boston until 1692, when religious authorities held a series of hearings accusing dozens of people of witchcraft. These accusations occurred across a handful of towns outside of Boston, including Ipswich and Andover. However, since the most notorious trials were held in Salem, they have been known ever since as the Salem Witch Trials.

Today, the Salem Witch Trials are often remembered as being a relic of a superstitious past. Salem has transformed itself into a tourist haven and Halloween destination by capitalizing off the Salem Witch trials. But it was deadly serious in 1692, when 19 men and women found themselves taken to "Gallows Hill" and hanged for being witches. Another man, who was over 80 years old, was pressed to death for refusing to be tried for witchcraft. And from February 1692 to May 1693, hundreds of others were accused of witchcraft, and dozens of them were imprisoned for months until the mass hysteria finally died down.

Members Reviews:

Very detailed history.

This book, while incredibly historically detailed, is very dry. It is full of wonderful information but felt a little like reading a text book or court room records (which is essentially what it was).

A Suggested Book...

Because of the trial testimonies and correspondence between the local and statesmen gov't at the time. I still find it repulsive but I appreciate the view into the Times and the People who caused this reprehensible and diabolical series of trials and executions, imprisonment and quite literal torture of innocent human beings.

Short primer on the Salem witch trials

I've always loved history and been fastinated by this subject matter. Nothing I didn't know already but quick re-read here at Halloween. I loved reading it on my Kindle.

Makes you wonder what really went on!

Toil and trouble

I had a hard time keeping up with the names and accusers. Seems like everyone was pointing the finger at someone else. Not a bad book. And as usual not all that in depth. I would have liked to have learned more about the little girls that were the initial accusers. And why no one ever questioned their stories.

Well written

A good read that is researched well.. the story is told well but with out to much puritan language. I did enjoy this book,

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Title: Fighting for America

Subtitle: The Struggle for Mastery in North America, 1519-1871

Author: Jeremy M. Black

Narrator: Jeffrey Whittle

Format: Unabridged

Length: 16 hrs and 26 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-25-15

Publisher: University Press Audiobooks

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 13 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

Prize-winning author Jeremy Black traces the competition for control of North America from the landing of Spanish troops under Hernán Cortés in modern Mexico in 1519 to 1871 when, with the Treaty of Washington and the withdrawal of most British garrisons, Britain accepted American mastery in North America. In this wide-ranging narrative, Black makes clear that the process by which America gained supremacy was far from inevitable. The story Black tells is one of conflict, diplomacy, geopolitics, and politics. The eventual result was the creation of a United States of America that stretched from Atlantic to Pacific and dominated North America. The gradual withdrawal of France and Spain, the British accommodation to the expanding US reality, the impact of the American Civil War, and the subjugation of Native peoples, are all carefully drawn out. Black emphasizes contingency not Manifest Destiny, and reconceptualizes American exceptionalism to take note of the pressures and impact of international competition.

Critic Reviews:

"American (and Canadian) readers will learn a lot of new things and be led into new ways of viewing old ones. An important contribution." (Walter Nugent, author of Into the West: The Story of Its People)

"This fascinating book describes the 300-plus year history of North America, from the landing of the first Spanish explorers until 1871." (Military Heritage)

Members Reviews:

This is a worthwhile listen... with qualifications

I can't see why anyone would pillory this book. It is well-written, but you have to approach it with some understanding.

First, I had to slow the speed down on this one. It listens like a speed-through, as if I was cramming for a history exam. If it is slowed down to .5, it is much more in the realm of a narration, and you can take in what is being said rather than focus on each word to make sure you get it.

Second, the book is written (I assume, since I don't have the book) more as a doctoral dissertation than a popular text. It was published by a university press, which by definition means it is going have an academic tone. This is by comparison with the work of an author like David McCullogh or David Hackett Fischer, who bring the personal experience of participants into the narrative. Their books are more toward an account of what happened and less of an analysis, although they do some of that as well.

Th advantage of the academic approach is that an author is able to deliver a lot more perspective as a more distant view of the history. For example, in a very concise segment of the chapter on 1775-1783, Black explains a view of the revolution from Europe, which was constantly in turmoil at that time. Why didn't Britain ally with other European countries to distract France from aiding the North American revolutionaries? This approach to the fight for North American is used throughout, so I learned many, many things that were not known to me previously.

Admittedly, I do love history, so I enjoy this approach. I rarely read fiction at all. So, someone who reads (or listens to) only an occasional historical narrative should probably stay away from this.

A Mistake on my Part!!!

I did not know you could use the word geopolitical so many time in every sentence.

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Title: Making Sense of the Constitution

Subtitle: A Primer on the Supreme Court and Its Struggle to Apply Our Fundamental Law

Author: Walter M Frank

Narrator: Mark D. Mickelson

Format: Unabridged

Length: 10 hrs and 38 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-20-15

Publisher: University Press Audiobooks

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

Walter Frank tackles, in a comprehensive but lively manner, subjects rarely treated in one volume.

Aiming at both the general listener and students of political science, law, or history, Frank begins with a brief discussion of the nature of constitutional law and why the Court divides so closely on many issues. He then proceeds to an analysis of the Constitution and subsequent amendments, placing them in their historical context. Next, Frank shifts to the Supreme Court and its decisions, examining doctrinal developments, the Court's decision making processes, how justices interact with each other, and the debate over how the Constitution should be interpreted.

The work concludes with a close analysis of Court decisions in six major areas of continuing controversy, including abortion, affirmative action, and campaign finance.

The book is published by Southern Illinois University Press.

Critic Reviews:

"Walter Frank's clear and sober picture of the Supreme Court's perspective on constitutional law also models the moderation he seeks in future Supreme Court appointments. A useful primer for students and the general reader." (Jeffrey K. Tulis, University of Texas at Austin)

"Making Sense of the Constitution is the civics lesson we all need. It is the most brilliant explanation of what the Supreme Court does that we have ever had. Walter Frank writes with wit and insight, and a profound devotion to the law." (Michael Zuckerman, Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania)

"Walter Frank's lively and immensely readable survey shows how the Supreme Court reaches its decisions and how those decisions have helped shape our nation. If you want to understand how the Supreme Court has used constitutional interpretation to structure America's government and define the rights of its citizens, this is the book to read." (Edward Rubin, University Professor of Law and Political Science, Vanderbilt University)

Members Reviews:

I enjoyed it

It was a good...listen. Performance was good, it wasn't monotone but also wasn't over the top like the guy was trying to win an Oscar. There were lots of examples and case reviews, which helped make sense how it applies. I thought it was a good intro to the constitution and constitutional law.

My favorite walk-through yet of constitutional law

I have read at least a dozen books on the topic. This one hits a nice balance between detail and complexity, and readability. Likewise there is a nice mix between the original texts and the briskly-told little historical vignettes that fill each one out. The narration is competent and fitting. It is at the intelligent end of popular works, not the deepest rumination on the complexities, but very fitting to its announced task, to raise the understanding of the public. This is one I will revisit again in a few years.

Excellent comprehensive survey

Loved every moment. Accessible to a layman (I am pretty sure) and satisfying even for a lawyer.

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Title: The Jackson County War

Subtitle: Reconstruction and Resistance in Post-Civil War Florida

Author: Daniel R. Weinfeld

Narrator: Emil Nicholas Gallina

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins

Language: English

Release date: 02-05-15

Publisher: University Press Audiobooks

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: History, American

Publisher's Summary:

From early 1869 through the end of 1871, citizens of Jackson County, Florida, slaughtered their neighbors by the score. The nearly three-year frenzy of bloodshed became known as the Jackson County War. The killings, close to 100 and by some estimates twice that number, brought Jackson County the notoriety of being the most violent county in Florida during the Reconstruction era. Daniel R. Weinfeld has made a thorough investigation of contemporary accounts. He adds an assessment of recently discovered information and presents a critical evaluation of the standard secondary sources.

The Jackson County War focuses on the role of the Freedmen's Bureau, the emergence of white Regulators, and the development of African-American political consciousness and leadership. It follows the community's descent after the Civil War into disorder punctuated by furious outbursts of violence until the county settled into uneasy stability seven years later. The Jackson County War emerges as an emblem of all that could have and did go wrong in the uneasy years after Appomattox and that left a residue of hatred and fear that endured for generations.

The book is published by The University of Alabama Press.

Members Reviews:

A hugely important book about Floridian and American Reconstruction

Daniel Weinfeld's on-the-ground history of Florida's worst Reconstruction conflict lays out in meticulous, careful detail who murdered whom, who was drunk when they did it, and which murderers profited handsomely in both political power and wealth. Here's a hint: It generally wasn't the carpetbaggers or their gullible and rapacious Negroes, who were neither gullible nor rapacious.

This knowledge matters. Call up Gone with the Wind tonight on HD streaming video, and you'll learn from the narrator about the tyranny and corruption of Carpetbag Rule - a horror far worse than the Civil War itself, the viewer is told. The lies and failures and rewarded assassinations of Reconstruction haunt us today in ways we often don't recognize. As a country, we still fight over the 14th amendment while hardly understanding its origins and context.

To his credit, Weinfeld resists the urge to anger that any honest person should feel upon reading this book and then reflecting on how the story of Reconstruction's overthrow was laundered throughout most of the popular history that followed. He's not writing to judge national memory. He's writing to add to it. And he's provided an invaluable service.

Dozens of people, mostly blacks and high-ranking white Republicans, died in two years of Reconstruction-era fighting in Jackson County, an agricultural hub near the Alabama border.

Weinfeld's research animates the factions in The Jackson County War. It reproduces Freedman Bureau records of the doomed white Republicans, many of whom ended up dead at the hands of the drunken, sullen children of the shattered local aristocracy, who were cheered on by the local press. And it recounts the black Republicans who voted in huge numbers to take a role in governing themselves and their new country. And who fought a steadily losing battle to keep that role and their lives.

Weinfeld writes with moral nuance and dispassion about the often violent and tragic collisions of these men and women.